Page 12 - Success Story Newsletter_Winter 2018

Pictured above: Anthony and Service Coach Angela Johnson Fraser

Progress and Persistence

Persistent, methodical, and goal-oriented, Anthony is a model program participant for an
organization like Easterseals. As a partaker of the Easterseals New Jersey's Community Living
Service, he works to improve his mental health and learns new ways to manage his emotional
instability. Anthony tells us, "When I first came to the program, I wasn't doin' good." He shares, "On
a scale of one to 10, I was at a three." He wasn't taking his medications as prescribed and saw a
significant decline in his mental state. His family tried their hardest to support him through this
tumultuous time, but they were ill-equipped and out of options. They did, however, find Anthony the
help he needed with Easterseals and he began to work with mental health professionals who were
ready and willing to support him in his journey.

Before Easterseals, Anthony was enrolled in several programs, bouncing from one to the other, but
had trouble staying in one place. Some programs closed down, while others ended up not being
a good fit. This inconsistency kept him from seeing the kind of progress he and his family were
hoping for. That all changed when he was enrolled with the Easterseals Community Living Program.
He found consistency in this new program, and began plotting out the road to his success.

He doubled his efforts at a behavioral health center in Piscataway, New Jersey where he sees
his doctors regularly, participates in peer groups, and has made tremendous progress with his
therapy. As a result of making remarkable progress in his treatment, Anthony has also increased his
independence and is now even looking for a part-time job. When he started, by his own admission,
he was a "three" out of 10. Now? He says you "can give me an 8."

We are so proud of his progress and know that a level 10 is right around the corner for him.

- Burt Brooks, Marketing and Communications Specialist | East Brunswick

12 Easterseals New Jersey Success Story Newsletter 2018 LIVE · LEARN · WORK · PLAY